Chapter 26

This was the last place Bruce wanted to be right now. But if anyone knew where Jack was, it was Selina Kyle.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't slam the door in your face," Selina said bitterly. Bruce pulled a medium-sized purse out of his jacket and shook it allowing her to hear the coins jingle inside.

"2,000 pounds, if you answer a few questions," Bruce told her. "Is that a good enough reason?" She took the purse out of his hand and peered inside. She looked back up with an annoyed look and moved out of the way so he could come inside.

"So what do you want to know?" Selina inquired.

"Where is Jack Napier?" Bruce asked.

"Tough question," Selina responded seductively. "What makes you think so certain that I know where he is?"

"You are a friend of or at least a close acquaintance," Bruce answered. "I'm certain you two are still in contact so if anyone knows where he is, it's you."

"You flatter me," Selina replied as she advanced towards him. "I'll tell but at a price." When she was within arms' reach, she rubbed his shoulders in a seductive manner. Bruce gently grabbed her hands and removed them from his shoulders.

"The 2,000 pounds is your reward," Bruce firmly reminded her. "Now tell me what I want to know. I'm not going to play games with you, Miss Kyle."

"What no Selina?" she replied with a fake pout.

"We are neither lovers nor friends, so there is hardly a reason to refer to each other on a first-name basis," Bruce stated.

"Fair enough," Selina said. "I'll tell you what you want, but after you answer my question."

"What is it?" Bruce asked.

"What does Diana Princeton have that I don't?" Selina questioned seriously. Bruce's face morphed from serious to confusion back to stern.

"What does it matter to you?" Bruce retorted.

"As you said I still keep in touch with Jack. So I know you've taken a fancy to her," Selina told him. "So…what is it?"

"Is that why you helped him? Because you're jealous?" Bruce responded with gritted teeth. "Miss Kyle, if memory serves, you're the one who was unfaithful, so you hardly have any right to be jealous when you're the one who ruined our relationship." She huffed.

"You don't understand," Selina said with disdain.

"What don't I understand?" Bruce asked anger clearly in his tone.

"You've had everything handed to you on a silver platter. You don't understand what it's like to be desperate," Selina answered.

"If you needed money, you know full well I would have given it to you," Bruce responded. "And I know that if you needed money you would've asked just like all the times before. But I'm not here to rehash the past. I'm here to find out where Jack Napier is."

"And then what?" Selina asked.

"It's hardly your business," Bruce snapped.

"It is my business when you come to my door demanding to know where he is," Selina retorted.

"I'm not going to hurt him if that's what you're worried about," Bruce told her. "In fact, I'm going to be doing him a favor."

"Oh?" Selina said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, now the information," Bruce demanded. Selina sighed and rolled her eyes,

"He's in his old house on the junction of Elmer and Hamil street," Selina informed him. "It's on the corner, you can't miss it." Bruce nodded.

"Thank you," Bruce responded before turning to the door to let himself out.

"Bruce," Selina called, Bruce stopped to hear what she had to say. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I love you." He scoffed.

"If you loved me, then why did you betray me?" Bruce demanded. "I don't understand you, Selina. You said you loved me and yet you still went out with any man who asked. I gave you everything I had, I told you things I've never told another soul, I trusted you, and you spat all that back in my face. I ruined my relationship with my uncle and cousin to be with you. I ignored all my friends and family when they said you were a floozy and a gold digger because I thought I knew better. I loved you Selina but if you couldn't be faithful in engagement then how could you possibly be faithful in marriage? I'm sorry that it didn't work out between us but that's on you not me. Goodbye." Bruce let himself out leaving Selina annoyed, confused, and sad.

"Well, I guess that answers my question," Selina said sadly to herself. "I hope you find what you're looking for Mister Wayne."

Two days later and not much had changed at the Princeton household. Persephone had not left her room, except to "powder her nose", and meals were brought up to her. Cassie was miserable and was no longer acting like the silly girl they had known. She spent most of her days reading, sewing and doing any sort of activity that required no talking. Hades was either in his office or outside in the garden. The older three tried to maintain order and tried to act as if nothing had happened but could succeed in fooling no one, not even themselves.

Currently, the three were taking a turnabout the gardens in silence when they saw their father sitting on one of the stone benches on the edge of the rose garden. They walked towards him and saw that he was holding a letter in his hands.

"Is it news?" Shayera asked, breaking the silence. Hades handed the letter to Diana.

"Would you mind reading it?" Hades asked. "I can't seem to make sense of it." Diana sat down on the bench beside him.

"It's news about Harley," Diana told them. Lois and Shayera exchanged a look. Diana started reading the letter silently.

"Well, what does it say?" Shayera asked.

"Are they married?" Lois asked.

"They're not married," Diana answered. "But they will be married shortly and all that Mr. Napier asks is that Mr. Princeton pay him a responsible sum of one hundred pounds a year, and fifty pounds a year after Mr. Princeton has passed away." Diana looked at her father. "How? For such a small amount?"

"Well, it could be worse," Shayera remarked. "Though honestly, Mr. Napier can go …"

"While I agree with that sediment, at this point, this is the only way to save what's left of her reputation," Lois told her.

"All of Napier's debts have been dealt with according to the letter," Hades stated. "Now the real question is how can I ever hope to repay your uncle for this?"

"What do you mean?" Shayera asked.

"In order to cover all of Napier's debts and whatever else that man wants, he'd be a fool to take her for any less than 10,000 pounds," Hades informed them. Shayera and Lois's jaws dropped and remained shocked. Diana remained indifferent since she already knew that.

"10,000 pounds?" Lois repeated.

"That's it," Shayera declared. "Next time we see him, I'm going to hit him where it hurts. HARD."

"You'll have to get in line," Diana told her. "I'm sure everyone would like to take a swing at him at this point."